Credit card transactions are being utilized in a variety of environments. In a typical environment a user provides a merchant with a credit card, and the merchant through various means will verify whether that information is accurate. For example, referring now to FIG. 1, a typical credit card verification system 10 is shown. In such a system, a merchant 12 receives a credit card from the customer 14. The merchant then verifies the credit card information through an automated verification system ("AVS") 16.
These systems work well in a credit card transaction in which either the customer has a face-to-face meeting with the merchant or the merchant is actually shipping a package or the like to the address of a customer. The verification procedure typically includes receiving at the AVS system address information and identity information. However, when downloading information from an online service or the Internet, the address and identity information are not enough to adequately verify that the customer who is purchasing the goods is actually the owner of the credit card. For example, an individual may have both the name and the address of a particular credit card holder and that information in a normal transaction may be sufficient for authorization of such a transaction. However, in an Internet transaction it is possible to obtain all the correct information related to the particular credit card holder through unscrupulous means, and therefore, be able to fraudulently obtain information.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method that overcomes the problems associated with a typical verification system for credit card transactions particularly in the Internet or online services environment. The system should be easily implemented within the existing environment and should also be straightforwardly applied to existing technology. The present invention addresses such a need.